Not empty words...

    At the age of twenty-one months, Naila fell into a pond outside her home. When one of her older sisters found her, she was face down and lifeless. Her sisters immediately called 911 and were instructed on how to perform CPR. They finally got a weak pulse. Naila was rushed to the hospital while her parents, Debree and Dwayne, who were at work, were contacted. They were in shock and disbelief. Her father began reciting over and over: "By His stripes Naila you’re healed.” Her mother  knew she needed Jesus but had no idea what to say to Him.
    When her parents arrived at the hospital, Naila was in the paediatric ICU unconscious and on life support. As Debree walked into the room, the medical staff around her daughter stepped aside. Nobody said anything and she was too afraid to ask them whether or not her daughter was alive. But finally she said: “You will live and not die in the name of Jesus.” Testing showed that Naila had suffered an anoxic brain injury due to near drowning, that she was in a deep coma and showed almost no brain activity. Doctors did not believe that she would wake up and if she did, she would be in a vegetated state. Her parents were basically told that she was dead. Both parents refused to accept this news and her father continued praying. They chose to stand on the Word of God not on what the doctors said.
    Later that afternoon, while Debree and other medical staff were in Naila’s room, Naila’s body jerked. Debree believed that God was sending them a message that she was going to be okay. When the movements continued, doctors, believing that she was having seizures, sedated her. However, the next day, they determined that she was not having seizures. Her body continued to move even under sedation. Debree was ecstatic and one of the doctors admitted that they were witnessing a miracle. Later that day, Naila’s heart and lungs started functioning on their own. Doctors took her off life support and brought her out of sedation. Naila continued to improve and an MRI confirmed that she had no brain damage. Four days after her accident, Naila was released from the hospital.
    Her mother, Debree, knows that they serve a big God and that He answers. She cannot wait to see what He is going to do with the rest of Naila’s life.
    What caught my attention with this testimony is the response of Naila’s parents. They adamantly chose to stand on the Word of God in spite of how dire things looked. They refused to accept defeat, they refused to believe what the doctors were telling them and decided that they had no other recourse but to turn to the One who could perform a miracle. God did not disappoint.
    God’s Word says in Isaiah 55:11, “So is my Word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God’s words are not empty, lifeless words on the pages of a book. They are alive and when we choose to apply them to a situation, God Himself will bring His own Word to pass. Sometimes, maybe we need to choose to reject what we can see, the report we are hearing, the way we are feeling and choose to stand on His Word which is very much alive. It’s about walking by faith not by sight.             
​    The Bible also says that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). We need to be careful with the words that come out of our mouth. What we say can either come into agreement with our situation that we can see or into agreement with what the Word of God says concerning our situation. Our words can either bring death or life. It’s a faith thing, it’s a trust thing, but God’s Word will always be more powerful than any situation that we go through.
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. God is faithful and if He says something, He is faithful to fulfil it. We can count on Him, we can trust Him especially when all else fails. He will keep His promises and His Word to us. He can do no less!

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